The Beautiful Tide
by BethBee
Summary: The world has never been so peacefull. So why cant Serena sleep? Whats the bad feeling she just can't shake? And who's that guy in her bedroom? First fic, reviews apprieciated but dont be mean! [Discontinued for now, so i can focus on other story; Starve moon, Starve]
1. Chapter 1

'The Beautiful Tide'You were like the tide. You came and

went from time to time, but you were

always constant. Maybe it was by

God's hand or some cruel kind of magic

that you changed from that beautiful

tide. It wasn't sudden, the transformation.

It came with the seasons of a new year.

The tide went out as always, but did

not return. Instead, the ocean crashed

into itself and destroyed the beautiful

tide. But it didn't. It changed it. Changed

the beautiful tide into something

ugly. Something dark and filled with hate.

Sometimes I wonder what happened to my

beautiful tide. If it's gone, or if by another

movement of God's hand or some new

kind of magic, it might return. But I

forget these thoughts, because it's easier

than thinking them.

As Serena put down her pen, her cerulean eyes skimmed over the neatly written script before her. She was never one for poetry, but recently something had been… off. Lots of things actually.

Things were good again. She and Darien were as in love as they had been all those thousands of years ago. She had never been closer to the friends she had fought beside for years now. Luna herself had said that Serena was begging to mature too. Her grades were slowly but surely rising, she was eating less like a pig, more like a human.

But something was definitely wrong. The young girl couldn't quite put her finger on it. In a bid to gather her thoughts and maybe come to a conclusion Serena had started a diary two weeks ago but found it wasn't for her. But this 'Thing' as she had named it, was driving her to distraction – noticeably so. So she confided in her closest friend, the first sailor scout besides herself- Amy. She trusted the cobalt headed girl with her life and with her issues. Amy put it down to stress from upcoming exams, but suggested poetry as a way to put down her feelings in a way she could describe without confusing or upsetting herself.

So there she was, sat at her desk at 3.00 AM. And even she didn't understand what she had written. But after the first word, the words seemed to fly out of the pen, as if they had been trying to escape all along. Serena wasn't even sure they were her words, much less what they decribed.

"'The Beautiful tide' huh?" She whispered into the night. After a moments thought, 'The Beautiful Tide' landed in a crumpled ball in her bin and Serena herself landed face down on her bed. In exactly 6 heartbeats she was dead to the world, having fallen into a dreamless sleep.

Only to be woken by a strange man and his ferret.


	2. ferret face bad morning

Chapter 2.

Darien's POV

Long golden hair. Flowers, everywhere. A scent. Like if you could bottle springtime, and sunshine and freshness. I could hear the sounds of distant laughter on the breeze. Then there was a ferret in my face. What a way to wake up from such a beautiful dream. I mean_ a ferret_. In my _face_.

It was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes in shock after it was forcibly thrown at me. Funnily enough thought, it was like, last on my list of things to think about. After getting the vicious ball of fur off of me, I looked around to find its entrance point only to spot Serena on the floor. Her hair was all over the place, and it was down which was weird. Normally she would have it up in her signature 'meatball' hairstyle. Clue #1 that something was wrong. Clue #2 was that she was unconscious and in her pyjamas. My heart skipped about 8 beats and then made a running jump into my throat. At this point, many swear words come to mind. I hesitantly lowered one foot slowly to the floor, very, _very_ aware that something was wrong. Just as the ball of my foot graced the soft cotton of the carpet, the dam ferret reappeared and tried to chew it off. I yelped rather loudly (admittedly quite girlishly) and retracted my foot from the ferret's reach.

I heard a quite groan and looked up from the ferret's beady little eyes to see Serena raising her head from the floor. I breathed a heavy sigh of relief seeing that she was okay. Kind of.

"Serena?" My voice was slightly wobbly with worry for her, but if she noticed she chose not to comment.

"Darien? Why am I in your apartment? Whats…" Her sleepy voice came from the floor. He could tell she was going to ask another question, but had been brought up short at the sight of the ferret. Trust me, waking up to a ferret is just not good.


	3. So thats where the ferret came from

Chapter 3

Serena's POV

Darien's apartment. Ferret. Pyjamas. Ferret. Pyjamas. Darien's apartment. Nope. That makes no sense, whatsoever.

"Serena?" I heard Darien call from the other side of the room. The volume of his wavering voice cut through the fog that had taken residence in my mind. I sat up properly now, but I had to put my head between my knees quickly to keep the dizziness at bay. "Darien? Why am I in your apartment? What's…" Oh dam. I lifted my head to see Darien's face and I catch sight of the two glassy black beads that serve as the ferret's eyes. I curse under my breath as the events of last night seep into my brain.

(Flash back to end of 1st chapter)

I hear a loud thud. Like something hard has fallen onto the carpet. I jerk awake and sit up, my back ramrod straight. Even before I open my eyes, my sailor's instinct tells me something is wrong. Before me stood a large man, at least what I thought was a man. his face was concealed in shadows. He stood with all the stillness of a statue, but had some sort of grace in his stillness that was beautiful. Then another sound filled my ears, from right behind my head. The kind of noise that a ferret makes right before it bites you apparently. I made some sort of gasp/cough type noise in surprise and ran from my bed to the side of the room opposite the statue/man.

Lifting my fingers to my shoulder, I noted the warm wet fluid leaking from what I deemed to be the ferret wound. "Who are you?" I threw the words out across the stony silence of the bedroom. "My name's Hero, Serena. But then you already knew that, didn't you?" The stranger said, stepping from the darkness into the pale moonlight flooding in from the window. I gasp. The man is almost as handsome as Darien. His eyes are the colour of Apples, sun-kissed grass or Spanish limes. Breathtakingly sharp even in the pale, thin light. His long straight nose, and chiselled jaw could melt any girl. But he was still the perfect stranger to me. I didn't recognize him at all. And I told him as much. "You know I think I would remember a face like that. So, maybe you've got the wrong girl, or you're crazy, something like that?" I said in a sugary voice. As I kept my sight on the rather tall man, I inched painfully slow to my desk where my communicator and broach were. The man smirked and I stopped dead. A gold tooth gleamed at me from his crooked smile. No closer to realising who he is, but for some reason a lot more scared of him. At this point I realise I can't see the dam ferret. More swear words fill the night as I try to run the four feet to my desk. At two feet, the man has his large, strong hands wrapped around my neck and I'm a few inches off the ground. Yet more profanities are thrown at the intruder as I struggle and come to these conclusions;

It hurts to struggle

I can't reach anything on my desk

Those little black spots at the edges of my vision are getting rapidly bigger.

(End flashback)

* * *

I stand up slowly, aware that many things hurt. I don't take my eye's off of the the ferret as I make my way over to Darien in small sweeping steps. I know that somewhere this man called Hero is lurking, but right now i just want to see if Darien's okay. "Serena? Do you know what's going on? 'cause i sure as hell don't" I hear him say, but i cut him off with the universal gesture of shut up. Franticaly holding my finger to my lips and making jerky movments under my chin with my other hand. Then just as i reach him, I hear it.

"Ah, awake i see! Good good, let's have some fun then." I had never heard a laugh I could describe as an 'evil cackle' before that moment. I Simultaneously feel Darien's arm snake around my waist and Hero's hand on my shoulder. Darien yanked me away from his cold touch and we both stood beside the bed with Hero on the opposite side. "Serena?" I hear him whisper. "Yeah?" I only just manage to squeeze out the word between my jaws, because they are clamped together so tightly. "A friend of yours?" He asks looking at the man across the room.

"Enough. It's rude to talk about me when I'm standing right here Darien!" From where i was standing, i could see the storm clouds brewing behind Hero's jaded eyes. Darien's grip on my waist tightens. "What do you want? Who are you?" He says in a steely voice. I could feel the cold edge in his words.

"To answer both of your questions, i am Hero, and I want my fiancée Serena." He said with a grin. Then Darien's fist was in his face, and the ferret that everyone had forgotten about (AGAIN) was in mine. The joys.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Darien'sPOV

"My name is Hero, and I wan't my fiancee Serena" It's a blur of punches and kicks after that. All I can see is red. an unimaginable rage filled me when i heard him speek her name. It was unbeleivable. I could hear Serena's voice somewhere to my right, something about 'Dam Ferrets'. Then Hero's foot connected with my face, and all I could see was big black splotches in my vision. A high pitched ringing noise filled my ears, and i thought i was going to be sick.I could hear some sort of struggle above the ring, and fought to clear my sight. When the black haze finaly lifted, i looked up to see Serena on Hero's back, with him in a tight necklock clawing at her hand. I couldn't help but smile.

But then, this guy made a monumental mistake. He forgot about me. Hero ran backwards into my bedroom wall, ramming Serena into it, hard. At her cry of pain, I leapt on him- roses in hand. While I was maulling his face with punches, three steel tipped roses embedded themselves in his arm and he made an almost animalistic noise in pain.

In my peripheral vision, I could see that Serena had crawled to the phone and was contacting the scouts.

Suddenly a blinding pain hit me in the stomach, and I went flying backwards into the side of my bed. Serena gasped and with no other option left- threw the phone at hero. It hit him square between the eyes with an audible crack. But apparently it was enough because he slumped against the wall unconscious. The phone lay on the floor in three pieces. Both Serena and I breathed a sigh of relief that it was over and crawled to each other. I checked her all over for wounds and catalogued everything in my mind- the inner doctor in me taking over. Small abrasion to the shoulder, most probably a ferret bite. Bruising and scraping on arms and legs. Possible broken rib on the right- Wait. Ferret. Where was the dam ferret. Serena realised it at the same time I did, and we both jumped in a panic.

The door burst open and Amy, Lita, Mina and Raye rushed in, all dressed in pyjama's- it being about 5.30 in the morning. "Stop!" Serena cried, freezing them to their spots.

"There is a ferret somewhere in this apartment, that bites. Hard" I said, my eyes still scanning the apartment. Luna chose this moment to come padding in silently. She made her way over to Serena and dropped her communicator and broach at her feet without a word. Then I watched her address the unconscious elephant in the room. Still refusing to speak she walked over to hero's prone body and sniffed him once. "Girls transform. We'll need to sailor teleport him." She said as she sat down next to the lifeless Hero. While the other girls went through their transformations, Serena walked over to Luna and began to question her.

* * *

Serena's POV

"Where?" I asked bluntly, too tired and sore for pleasantries. I watched Darien disappear into a closet down the hall and come out with lots of rope. He tossed it to Lita. They had a brief discussion but I was listening to Luna so I didn't hear. "We need to take him to the moon, about two hundred years in the future" she said without blinking. "We need you. Neo-Queen Serenity. She's the only one who can tell us who this man is". I swiped my hand across my face in a gesture that showed how drained I was.

"Luna, I don't think that Serena could handle a teleport for at least a few hours" said Darien from behind me. "We've been fighting almost all night". Out of the corner of my eye I saw Lita finish tying Hero up. "We don't have time for rest now unfortunately. If this man is who I think he is, then we are in a lot of trouble. More than we've ever been in before. And the safest place for us is in the future. Now transform Serena," She snapped the last part, obviously running out of patience.

Giving up, I stooped to pick up my broach and communicator and gasped at the pain that ignited in my ribs. Darien is instantly by my side, helping me sit on the floor and rushing off to find pain killers. While he's distracted going through his medicine cabinet, I took the opportunity to transform.

It was agony. As ribbons and light surround me, my body is forced to bend in ways that intensify the ache in my ribs dramatically. As it fades, everyone around me gives me strange looks. "What?" I ask exasperated by their staring. Then I follow their stares. "Oh".

* * *

**So some drama and fighting :) I have no idea how far in the future neo-queen serenity is, so thats a guess. there's a couple other anomalies- just ignore them. Thanks for reading! REVIEW!**


	5. Oh

Chapter 5

Darien's POV

I sighed as I watched Serena's transformation. Even with what appeared to be a couple of cracked ribs she couldn't sit still for two minutes. I looked down at the painkillers in my hand. Probably wouldn't do much for her but I had to do something. I snapped my head up at the sound of multiple gasps around the room. I joined the sailors in gaping at Serena.

"What?" she said clearly confused by our staring. Then she looked down at herself and her eyes went wide. "Oh".

It was Sailor Moon. Kind of. Except her hair was a bright golden colour, like threads of sunlight. Her skirt was a darker shade of blue and shone like silk, even in the dim light of my apartment. The bow on her chest and her boots were gold as well. The broach at the center of her bow was the same blue as her skirt. It had a silver crescent moon on it, with a golden sun behind it. Sailor moon was glowing, throwing light in every direction.

I watched Serena blink once, twice, three times before she thumped down on the ground. Not a word was said as I made my way to Sailor Moon and plonked down beside her. Sailor Jupiter was the first to break the silence. "Luna? Want to explain?" she asked the feline, but she appeared to be as confused as the rest of us.

"Amy, maybe if you do a scan of Serena, it might tell us something?" the invisible question mark at the end of Luna's statement proved she knew nothing of this transformation. Within seconds, the soldier of Mercury had her computer out and was running all kinds of tests.

While she was doing that, I walked over to where Jupiter was standing in front of a still dormant Hero. He looked as if he was just coming round, but Jupiter had him tied up so tight that he wasn't a threat. I laughed at the multiple bruises visible on his arms, knowing that Lita had probably contributed greatly to them. I was just thinking about how Lita was a little sister to me when I felt Serena at my side. We both looked down at Hero and I felt the Moon princess' confusion through the bond we shared. I wasn't feeling any different. Okay so maybe there was still a touch of murderous rage there, but only a touch.

"Luna I'm not getting anything other than Serena is emitting a very strong energy. There's nothing else at all, like the transformation doesn't exist" I heard Amy say with annoyance clear in her quiet voice. The cat gave a deep sigh loaded with worry and padded over to where we stood. "What do you want to do Serena?" She said looking up at the leader of the scouts. Sailor moon gave a groan and turned away- seemingly to have a conversation with herself. I could hear her mumbling and arguing but there was no way to tell what was being said or what side was winning. I cocked an eyebrow at the scouts and Luna and we all grinned. "Moon?" She flinched as she heard her name.

"We're headed for Crystal Tokyo then… I guess". She looked at me as if to confirm she had said the right thing. I nod and without another word, the scouts and I gather into a circle around a now conscious but silent Hero. Luna wanders over to the window, and with a call of 'Good Luck' she disappears. "Ready?" says Mars. She tries to hide it but there is a quiver in her voice. This whole situation is just… weird. The group nods and we join hands.

"Jupiter!"

"Mars!"

"Mercury!"

"Venus!"

"Moon Crystal Power!"

And we were off. From earth, the light from Sailor Moon would normally have been a bright magenta colour, but tonight it was a shot of sunlight in the darkness.

* * *

Within seconds we were standing on a different Earth. We were directly outside of the gates of the crystal palace, and from the looks of the sky it was about noon when we landed. We released each other's hands after taking a second to breath. I watched Serena sway to and fro for a moment before her eyelids drooped and slip closed. I caught her long before she was in any danger of falling. The scouts were still standing, but only just. It takes a lot of energy to teleport from A to B, never mind across time. Add to the equation Hero and I, given that we cant contribute any energy to the teleport- you have a bunch of exhausted teenagers.

I turned to look when I heard the gates of the palace open. King Endimion in all his Lavender clothed glory marched out, clearly knowing why we were here. He beckoned us inside. I bundled Serena up in my arms, and felt her transformation fade. When I looked down, she was clutching her new broach in a white knuckled grip as if afraid it might disappear. When I looked back, I saw Hero slung over Endimion's shoulder and the scouts trailing behind him- their transformations had faded as well. At the door four servants and Neo-Queen Serenity herself met us. Two of the servants took Hero and scurried away, and the other two tried to take the still unconscious Serena. I was not about to let her go no matter how safe we were. Something didn't feel right. The servants shrugged and hurried of to find something else to do.

We were smothered by hugs and kisses upon entering the magnificent palace, all from – no surprise- Serenity. Once we were done with greetings we were escorted to a huge guest bedroom. I put Serena in the bed and made her as comfortable as possible as I listened to the Queen speak. Her voice was Serena's, but something about it was more regal, and knowing.

"My friends- why have you come here today? It's good to see you but we never meet under pleasant circumstances, do we?" she said, a sad melancholy look to her. We looked at each other, then one by one the scouts settled their eyes on me. "Queen Serenity-" I began, but my future self cut me off. "Darien, I am you and she" he said gesturing to Serena, "Is her. We've known each other for many years. Drop the formalities". He said jerking a thumb at Serenity. She nodded in agreement.

"Fine. Serenity, we need your help. And more than we thought we did half an hour ago." I said, clutching Serena's hand and sighing. The next half hour was spent explaining our experience with Hero, everything that had happened with him, and discovering Serena's new transformation. All the while Serenity and Endimion remained silent and I never let go of Serena's hand. Once I was done clearing up why we were there, Endimion summoned a servant and asked that Hero be brought to the throne room under maximum security.

"Come, we shall meet him there" he said, gesturing to the scouts to follow. It went without saying that I would stay with Serena. As the King ushered his soldiers out of the room, Serenity looked at her past self. She traced her fingers over the small bruise on her forehead just above her right eyebrow. Then her hand moved to the small tear in Serena's dress, where she had hit off of a table. The bruising on her side was clearly visible through the rip. Understanding shone through the Queen's eyes and she nodded.

"I remember this" she said, a small smile on her lips. "Two cracked ribs, one broken. Minor concussion. Lots and_ lots _of bruising, _everywhere_. You also sported quite a bruise on your stomach if I remember right" She said with a giggle. Sure enough when I pulled my shirt up there was a clear imprint of Hero's fist in the center of my stomach- in a shade of purple that I just know Serena would love. The thought brought a much welcomed smile to my lips. "I'll go and fetch Amy- my Amy. She's the Best healer in all of Crystal Tokyo. If memory serves she fixed me up pretty good. By the way" she said half way out the door. "I'll wake up in about six minutes- give or take".

Then we were alone. I stared at her beautiful face, and sighed. She probably wouldn't remember much when she woke up- considering the concussion and energy loss. I would have to explain this all over again. Then something occurs to me. The Ferret. The _damn Ferret_. We left it in _my_ apartment. "FU-" I was half way through swearing when I was interrupted by the future Amy's loud voice; "Well then, lets see what we've got here!"

* * *

**So I'm thinking that maybe Darien's just a little out of character. I dunno, just doesn't seem quite right. If youve got any ideas about that then dont hesitate to review about it. Speaking of reviews, there is one person in particular that i must mention because of her constant praise and suport and not-giving-upedness when it came to this story;**

**LoveInTheBattleField, thank you so much! To answer another reviewer's question; the ferret (add a damn where apropriate) will be given a name in the next chapter! but ive got not clue what to call it, so PM ideas and we'll have a competition! winner will get a virtual hug and little shout out in the next chapter. so that being said, happy reading and REVIEWING! (hint,hint:)**


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